When it comes to animal prints, felines have long been fat cats. But there's a wide wild world beyond leopard spots and tiger stripes. This summer, sea creatures are sharing the fashion limelight as the likes of seahorses and starfish pop up as prints and embellishments.

"People are starting to get more in touch with the Earth and its inhabitants, and you can see it all the way into the fashion industry," says Dara Gerson, who with her husband, Ashley Lowengrub, designs the sea-creature-laden jewelry line Alkemie. "It's not something that's just for hippies anymore -- it's in the mainstream."

Starfish lovers may want to take note of Miss Trish of Capri's summery sandals from her Target collaboration, or Suzanne Somersall's Starlette sterling silver ring. Lauren Moshi's screen-printed tanks include seahorse and octopus designs, while Alkemie sculpts a seahorse bangle from reclaimed metals. Looking for less exotic ocean dwellers? Try Marc by Marc Jacobs's fish-printed tunic. Or at home, introduce the trend with West Elm's School of Fish pillow or Z Gallerie's porcelain dinner plates.

Of course, the upswing of sea-oriented pieces doesn't mean your cheetah-print items should be banished. The fashion world is big enough for everyone.